Trump defends Second Amendment

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said Wednesday the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is here to stay, responding to retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ call to eliminate it. “The Second Amendment will never be repealed,” the president tweeted. “As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens.” The president added that the Republican Party needs more lawmakers in Congress to ensure Democrats don’t flip the balance of power on the U.S. Supreme Court. Stevens, who turns 98 next month, served on the court from 1975 to 2010, the third-longest tenure in history. He penned an op-ed in The New York Times on Tuesday referencing the previous weekend’s widespread anti–gun violence protests: “Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated in Washington and other major cities throughout the country this past Saturday.” Stevens called for a repeal of the Second Amendment to weaken the National Rifle Association’s ability to “stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation.” The NRA also issued a statement Tuesday denouncing Stevens’ opinion, saying, “We will unapologetically continue to fight to protect this fundamental freedom.”